Attention all Knifemakers!.....Product dealers/retailers and/or knife makers/sharpeners/hobbyists (etc) are not permitted to insert business related text/videos/images (company/company name/product references) and/or links into your signature line, your homepage url (within the homepage profile box), within any posts, within your avatar, nor anywhere else on this site. Market research (such as asking questions regarding or referring to products/services that you make/offer for sale or posting pictures of finished projects) is prohibited. These features are reserved for supporting vendors and hobbyists.....Also, there is no need to announce to the community that you are a knifemaker unless you're trying to sell something so please refrain from sharing.
Thanks for your co-operation!

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I would pick the SS 10K now, and suggest that you only consider the Kitayama later if you aren't happy with it.

The Kitayama is best AFTER most 10K stones or BETWEEN the Rika 5K and JKS 10K. You are better off going from the Rika 5K to the SS 10K and stopping there than going from the Rika 5K to the Kitayama and stopping there. After getting the SS 10K, I would pick up a Beston 500 or Gesshin 400 before the Kitayama, and from there, maybe try to get a used JKS 10K. Your stone progression for your yanagiba would progress like this as you acquire stones:

I kind of love Kitayama, from the start i was not impressed but it grew on me a lot. Now i use that stone for razors and Kamisoris all the time.
BTW Iwasaki use it as bevel setter on his Kamisoris hehe

No kidding! I haven't used mine in months. Maybe I'll give it another shot.

I discovered today that my Imanishi Bester 8k leaves less mirrored polish then SS 5K. I was quite surprise, as it is rated to be 1micron apparently :-/ To not open a new thread, should I just drop the 8K progression and get SS 10K right away as suggested by many in this forum? I want something for mirror polishing the blade....
I will keep the 8K for light touch-ups it does great in this aspect.

between those two, for polish along, the naniwa ss 10k is the better bet. I like the feeling and resultant edge from the junpaku better myself personally, but it wont be as bright of a mirror finish and the stones are known for developing hairline cracks.